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cooking gluten free

Does anyone have any tips of when to use any of the Gluten free flours out there. There are so many to choose from. I have several in my pantry including: Coconut, potato, soy, quinoa, tapioca, rice, etc. Not sure what to use as a substitute and when for regular flour. Any tips are appreciated.

There isn't a particular recipe I have in mind right now. I just wondered if there were any standard answers, like only use Soy flour for savory dishes for instance. Never use coconut flour straight etc.

Carol is a gluten-free chef and food blogger currently cooking her way through the Alinea Cookbook.

added almost 3 years ago

Sarah: You can't do a one-for-one swap to fill in for wheat flour. When there's no gluten, you have to add a gum or other starch to make up for it.

If you want a really easy solution (albeit maybe on the pricey side), Thomas Keller's Cup4Cup is really fantastic. It's a blend of flours and starches and a gum and milk powder. It's the only thing I've been able to successfully substitute for wheat flour and not have to experiment. It's good stuff. Sold online and at Williams-Sonoma.

But one time a friend consulted me for suggestion for 'heart healthy" party with a buffet. For a local Doctor.

He did two stews--a lamb tagine, and a veggie tagine.

The star----and what got him the gig. was a cauliflower couscous. No wheat, low cal, and veggie based. Trim the florets, and process very lightly to 'couscous' texture. Then sautee with a touch of water, olive oil, cumin, and stock..very light on the moisture (use veggie stock or mushroom stock if compleat vegan). DO NOT make it mush..just take the edge off and it should still have texture.
That was used for as a base for tagines of meat, and another tagine with veggies.

It holds up very well..no gluten, and extra points for using cauliflower.

The real answer is that it takes a blend of "alternative" flours to get a wheat flour replacement. And, if the replacement is baking, you'll also need to add either xanthan gum or guar gum; most savory applications (like thickening sauces) are fine without the gum.

There are recommended blends available on the internet or in books. I'd recommend staying away from any that include a bean flour (garbanzo; fava; ...) because it can result in a "beany" flavor in some applications (do you really want angel food cake with a beany undertone? -- yuck!).